


Bright and Early

by watermelonriddles



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, Soft Rio (Good Girls)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 05:57:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18750412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watermelonriddles/pseuds/watermelonriddles
Summary: Beth’s heart did a little flutter as Jane grinned and Rio’s small smile turned into a grin as well. It was genuine. She could see it in the way his eyes sparkled.“Shouldn’t you be asleep, little one?”Jane nodded. “I woke up.”Rio’s eyes drifted to the blanket in Jane’s hands and the recognition flashed across his face. He tugged on it a little. “Ah, so this is yours?”





	Bright and Early

**Author's Note:**

> I actually wrote this just after 2x09 aired but I wasn't entirely sure if I should post it... In the end, I decided why not.

Beth hated to admit that ever since Dean had left things had been hard. While finally kicking him out and filing for divorce had been the best thing she had ever done, taking care of four kids and working all hours really did take its toll. She had found ways to make it better for sure. Every other weekend and some hours during the week with Dean and a regular babysitter who only lived a couple of streets over definitely helped.

She did her best to keep that balance between work and family. Even going so far as to train more people up at Boland Motors so she didn’t have to be there all the time. Everything was a work in progress and considering things were more than a little strained between her and Rio, it was going surprisingly well.

Leaving had been one of the hardest things Beth had ever had to do and if it wasn’t for the kids, she probably never would have. _No_. If it wasn’t for _Dean_ , she wouldn’t have. It really hadn’t taken her long to go back, to break down in the most embarrassing way, and tell Rio about the ultimatum. She needed him to understand that leaving as coldly and abruptly as she did was because she didn’t want to, that she had no choice. He had understood but Beth could see it, the way that any trust she had built with him had completely disappeared again. It had been a few months and she still wasn’t sure if she could ever get it back.

Like most nights since she went back, Beth found herself wide awake and unable to get to sleep. As midnight came and went, she grabbed the blanket from the armchair in the corner of her room and headed out through the french doors. She wrapped the blanket around herself and took a seat at the picnic bench, leaning back against the table.

Beth only sat there for a few minutes before a little voice grabbed her attention. “Mama?”

She twisted in her seat to see Jane walking over, blanket grasped tightly in one hand. “What are you doing up, sweetie?”

“Can’t sleep,” Jane said once she was close enough to the picnic bench. She climbed onto the seat beside Beth and curled up against her side. “Couldn’t find you.”

“Did you have a nightmare?” Beth asked as she wrapped her blanket around Jane as well.

“No.”

“Well, I couldn’t sleep either,” Beth told her. “You can keep me company for a few minutes and then it’s back to bed, okay?”

Jane nodded and although Beth managed to smile, she could feel her body begin to tense. He was there, she could feel it. It was like some kind of sixth sense. She tried to figure out relatively quickly what her next move should be but then he spoke.

“We need to talk.”

She looked over to him. He had come around the side of the house and was stood a little bit away. He clearly hadn’t spotted Jane because he was looking at her expectantly. “I can’t.”

Rio walked closer to the picnic bench. “I don’t care.”

“No, Rio, I _can’t.”_

As he came around to stand in front of her, he finally caught sight of Jane. His demeanour immediately changed and Beth couldn’t help but notice the way his features softened. He approached slowly until he was stood in front of them both while still making sure to keep a slight distance.

“I know you,” Jane said, a smile spreading across her face as she looked to Beth. “He’s your friend from the park.”

“Yeah, sweetie,” Beth said as she tried her best not to look at Rio.

“You have the drawing of a bird on your neck,” Jane pointed out as Rio crouched down.

“I sure do.”

At that Jane got off the bench and approached him. When she got right up to him, he tilted his head back to expose his neck. She still had her blanket clasped tightly into one hand but with the other, she reached up to touch the tattoo. Rio remained completely still the entire time, even as she poked and prodded.

“Does it come off?”

As she removed her hand, Rio put his head down to look at her. “Nah, it’s there forever.”

“Cool.” Beth’s heart did a little flutter as Jane grinned and Rio’s small smile turned into a grin as well. It was genuine. She could see it in the way his eyes sparkled.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep, little one?”

Jane nodded. “I woke up.”

Rio’s eyes drifted to the blanket in Jane’s hands and the recognition flashed across his face. He tugged on it a little. “Ah, so this is yours?”

Jane beamed and hugged it tightly to her chest. “It’s my dubby.”

“Yeah, you lost it a while back, right?”

“How’d you know?”

“Rio found it for you,” Beth said causing both of them to look over at her. 

When Jane looked back to Rio, she flung her arms around his shoulders in a tight hug. The unexpected movement almost knocked him off balance but he managed to regain it before bringing one arm to wrap around Jane. With his hold on her secured, Rio stood up and lifted her with him. He carried her over to the picnic table and sat down onto the bench, dropping Jane down into the space between him and Beth.

“What do you say?” Beth asked, nudging Jane a little.

“Thank you for finding it.”

“That’s alright, little one. I heard it was important.”

But as Rio said that last part he looked at Beth. She didn’t know what to say or do. He hadn’t looked at her like that in a long time. His features were soft. A smile tugged at the edges of his mouth and his eyes were searching, filled with curiosity as he looked her up and down. 

“Hey, sweetie?” Beth said as she looked down at Jane. “Why don’t you go back to your room? I’ll be up in a few minutes once I’ve said goodbye to Rio, okay?”

Jane pouted. “Can I sleep with you?”

Beth sighed although she couldn’t help but smile. “Okay but only because it’s so late, alright?”

With an enthusiastic nod, Jane straightened up. She gave Rio one last hug and then gave one to Beth before scrambling off the picnic bench and running back towards the french doors. Beth waited for them to click shut before she finally looked back to Rio. In the time it had taken, he had slipped closer to her and now there was barely any space between them.

She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “What did you want to talk about?”

“It can wait,” he decided. “You should go back before she hogs your side of the bed.”

Beth laughed a little at that. “She’ll probably be asleep when I get inside. It’s fine.”

“Nah, we’re good,” Rio told her as he stood up, his hand touching her knee for the briefest of moments before he did. “It’s just about a shipment at the end of the week. I’ll swing by the dealership tomorrow, yeah?”

She wanted to ask if he was sure but he usually was so she kept her mouth shut. Instead, she nodded her agreement and without another word, he began to walk away. She sat there for a moment. It had been so different from all of their interactions over the previous few months. Normally, whenever he got even a little comfortable with her, he seized up again.

“Rio!”

As she stood up from the bench, he had already turned. He was at the corner of the house, about to slip around the side of it. He remained where he was as Beth headed towards him. She tried to close the gap between them as quickly as possible and as she got closer, he opened his mouth to say something but she didn’t stop until she reached him and threw her arms around his neck in a hug.

Rio stood completely still for a moment and just as Beth was about to retreat, his arms wrapped securely around her middle. He lifted her off the ground for the briefest moment and she held onto him even tighter than before. When her feet were back on solid ground, Rio only loosened his grip ever so slightly. She leaned back just enough to look up at him, her hands rested comfortably on his shoulders. He searched her face before settling on her eyes.

“Bright and early tomorrow, right?” she asked, aware of the slight elevation in her voice. “And I… I really am sorry. About leaving the way I did.”

As he pulled her in a little closer again, Rio leaned in and gently brushed his lips against hers. “Enough of that, mama. It’s old news.” He kissed her once, short but sweet, before letting go of her completely. With that signature smirk in place, he turned and walked away from her and called, without looking back, “bright and early tomorrow.”

Beth couldn’t fight the blush that crept up her neck and spread over her cheeks, nor the smile that was so big it made her face ache, as she watched him walk away. That all too familiar flutter was back in her heart again and she had to take a moment to let it all sink before she turned and headed back to her bedroom.


End file.
